Report Suggests Apple iPad Air and iPad mini Could Receive OLED Displays in 2026
Apple may consider switching the iPad Air and iPad mini to OLED panels starting in 2026, a new report from Omdia suggests.
This change is expected to follow the integration of Apple’s OLED panel into the iPad model, which may enter the market in 2024. According to the publication, the OLED panels of the said iPad Pro could be supplied by LG Display and Samsung. In addition, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro Mini with LED backlight will be replaced with OLED technology going forward.
While nothing of the sort has been confirmed, industry insiders including Mark Gurman have previously claimed the same for the 2024 iPad Pro model.
It should be noted that Apple could slowly roll out OLED technology even to the iPad Air and iPad mini – both of which are cheaper than the iPad Pro and act as a middle ground between the iPad 10th generation and the iPad Pro. Apple is expected to analyze the performance of the OLED panel after it is integrated into the iPad Pro in 2024, and then “adjust” its OLED iPad Air and iPad mini release schedule.
This trajectory could follow the same path that OLED displays in its mobile lineup took – introducing OLED panels in the iPhone X while choosing to continue offering IPS displays with the iPhone 8 series and subsequent models. Apple switched to OLED panels only in vanilla models with the launch of the iPhone 12 series – two generations after the iPhone X.
In related news, Apple may also be working on two new versions of the iPad Air 6, and one of them could be a larger version alongside the current 10.9-inch version, or perhaps even a more expensive model with better specs than the debut. . Notably, Apple hasn’t updated the outgoing Apple iPad Air 5th generation (M1 model) since March 2022 – since its launch. so the update is long.
